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The only thing lowering the gas tax does is give people a convenient excuse to buy more gas at higher prices, thereby propping up even more record quarterly profits for the petroleum industry.
by HKHeadhunter on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:33:21 PM PDT
[ Parent ]
What was Exxon's profit this quarter, $17B? It'll be more next quarter.
More campaign donations and 527s! Hooray for Hillary!
And there we are, the beautiful; eating from TV trays, tuned in to Happy Days.
by MBNYC on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:35:04 PM PDT
She wants to be immortalized in the history books. She can see her name written up in every history book as the first woman president.
Her narcissism drives her to do anything to win.
She not the Energizer bunny. She a character portrayed by Glenn Close.
"It's the planet, stupid."
by FishOutofWater on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:39:44 PM PDT
When she played the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on the West Wing...
But, somehow, I suspect that is NOT the character you are referencing.
101 Dalmations, I presume??
Fatal Attraction?? Wait, eeewwww......
"You share your young with the wolves of the nation...Theres nothing left til you pray for salvation"Black Rebel Motorcycle Club "American X"
by Steve Singiser on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:41:46 PM PDT
re: GC on the West Wing.
by GoRedSoxGo on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:45:42 PM PDT
For HILLARY!
by plum on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:51:25 PM PDT
Rush called Hillary "Cruella De Vil" today on his radio show. (Folks listen in the break room.)
He was referring to Obama needing to realize who he's up against and start fighting back.
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah
by browneyes on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:12:57 PM PDT
by worldwideellen on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:22:55 PM PDT
He does do pretty damn good analysis of the campaign, but if I were Obama, I wouldn't take many of his suggestions!
by browneyes on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:41:37 PM PDT
after the primary. He's going to win, but he can't attack Clinton the way Clinton is attacking him. He's got to take the high road. The harder he directly attacks Clinton, the longer it will take to heal the party after Clinton's inevitable loss.
Investigate War Lies --> Evidence for Senate Conviction --> End the War. Got it?
by bejammin075 on Thu May 01, 2008 at 10:03:26 PM PDT
be surprised by. I'm a convert. I'm a libertarian, and have voted Republican in the past. (Of course, I voted for Bill Clinton, too.) Many of my conservative friends are supporting Obama.
It's his message of unity that's so appealing. So no, I don't think it's wise for him to attack Hillary in the vicious way her campaign has gone after him. Her supporters, at least most, will come along.
I will note...some of her support has come from mischievous Republicans. They may have kept her in the race this long, but I think her time is about up!
by browneyes on Thu May 01, 2008 at 10:18:47 PM PDT
from that fantastic elderly woman, "Leave Hillary alone, you're better than that!"
"We the People of the United States..." -U.S.Constitution
by elwior on Thu May 01, 2008 at 10:54:38 PM PDT
Get it turned to an oldies station part of the time or something?
by concernedamerican on Fri May 02, 2008 at 04:37:46 AM PDT
a high-pitched squealing noise, perhaps, like... a dog whistle?
On Liberation Day, 1/20/09, Americans will greet us with flowers and candy
by kamarvt on Fri May 02, 2008 at 05:59:23 AM PDT
Didn't she play a pretty cool VP in Air Force 1?
-7/-6.26 | "A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy" - T. Roosevelt
by Bogleg on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:22:24 PM PDT
Do what her husband began, shut down the Democratic Party. What he began she's revving up to complete. I heard very breifly before i could change the station Joe S and Pat Buchanan say all Clinton has to do is get to the 'right' of McCain on NAFTA, and a few other GOP issues and she's got the election all sewed up!
Now she's calling on 'Congress' to stand with her? That's in your face and 'look who's in control and I'm giving you warning, I'm taking over the Democratic Party." OMG!
"People should not vote for any Republican, because they're dangerous, dishonest and self-serving"
by Wary on Fri May 02, 2008 at 04:51:22 AM PDT
quick, everybody, hide your bunny rabbits.
by elmo on Fri May 02, 2008 at 06:35:46 AM PDT
by CeeusBeeus on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:54:36 PM PDT
wearing Gucci...
by Jeff Y on Thu May 01, 2008 at 10:17:12 PM PDT
by elwior on Thu May 01, 2008 at 10:56:31 PM PDT
She seems to be making her way to the other side of the aisle daily as she places her support with McCain and his policies and "experience".
by Sharon in MD on Fri May 02, 2008 at 05:22:01 AM PDT
She's a rich person... god bless her!
-8.38, -4.97 "...there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Hamlet, Act II, Scene ii.
by thingamabob on Fri May 02, 2008 at 06:54:16 AM PDT
Exxon's profit was "only" $10.89 billion this quarter, which is why it was a disappointment.
Maybe we should take up a collection.
Not a Cent to those who won't fight torture.
by not a cent on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:02:06 PM PDT
Exxon reported only "the second-highest U.S. corporate profit on record, falling just short of the record $11.66 billion Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500) earned in the prior quarter" according to CNN. They fell short of their goal so lay off them. It's about time you bleeding heart liberals start doing your part to help companies like Exxon consistently make record profits.
by Dark Ranger on Thu May 01, 2008 at 11:26:17 PM PDT
So each hour, the slimes at Exxon rake in nearly $5 million in profits!
$83,000 per minute- profit.
What did they pay their former CEO to retire? Why that was just a few days of profits for these greedmasters- only in bush-cheney land can this go on.
by MD patriot on Fri May 02, 2008 at 05:32:18 AM PDT
"Dollars for Exxon Relief" website takes PayPal? I'm dedicating our entire $300 Stimulus Rebate to the more-poor and unfortunate Exxon execs and stockholders who are having to make the real tough decisions: Rolls or Maybach; Gulfstream V or G550; new yacht or redecorate; 2 acre underground complex near Aspen or 3 acre in-ground in Costa Rica? What would i waste the money on anyway? Paying down the utility bill, half a loaf of bread? Pffft!
If McCain is the answer to America's problems, then the question must be ridiculous -David Paterson NY Gov.
by geez53 on Fri May 02, 2008 at 07:14:22 AM PDT
Is it just me, or is this not a great way to piss off those undeclared super delegates who happen to be members of Congress and who might not be sympathetic to Hillary's latest campaign trick? Or maybe the HRC campaign's done the math and thinks this gambit's worth it. Still, it's one thing to push for a suspension of the gas tax and quite another thing to try to pressure ~250 super delegates into adopting your position when you need their delegates for the nomination. Seems a little odd.
"You can't talk to the ignorant about lies, since they have no criteria." --Ezra Pound
by machopicasso on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:33:55 PM PDT
this Diary.
Most of them lived through Bill running against both them and the Republicans during the 90's - Bill was the only "reasonable" one between the two extremes.
This should remind the Superdelegates of exactly why they absolutely do not want Hillary.
It drives me nuts.
by Pirate Smile on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:58:05 PM PDT
The extent to which this most recent HRC stunt mirrors Bill's triangulation from '92 --and the problems it creates for down-ticket candidates-- is striking. I wonder if the HRC campaign even realizes it. Part of me thinks, "Of course, they know exactly what they're doing." But then I read stuff like this and think, "Well, maybe they don't, after all." And then, of course, there's "the Penn factor"...
by machopicasso on Thu May 01, 2008 at 10:24:13 PM PDT
Bill was the only "reasonable" one between the two extremes.
Isn't that precisely how Hillary is painting herself now on the gas tax issues, and by extension every economic concern? She stands between the scary Republican and the effete liberal. And now she stands alone in Congress while her colleagues side with the oil companies.
The sad thing is, many people still buy this line.
by CroftonPark on Fri May 02, 2008 at 03:07:44 AM PDT
earlier this week (I shoud've linked it to be smurfed) showed 47% in favor of cutting the tax for the summer. 17% wanted it raised. Yup. Low-information voting still rules the world.
by kamarvt on Fri May 02, 2008 at 06:02:49 AM PDT
She knows she is going to lose. Did you watch Bill Clinton today on his angry tirade against the caucus states? "What are they gonna let the caucus states decide this thing?" with total and utter disgust in his voice. The Clintons have nothing left to lose. They know they are losing, now they have decided if they can't win, then no one can.
But since she admires McCain so much and thinks he has so much experience, I hear he's looking for a running mate...
"The Power to change this party, and the power to change this country is in your hands, not mine." - Gov. Howard Dean, MD
by deaniac83 on Thu May 01, 2008 at 10:21:19 PM PDT
dressed in a Democratic pantsuit:
by Jeff Y on Thu May 01, 2008 at 10:10:03 PM PDT
by elwior on Thu May 01, 2008 at 10:58:25 PM PDT
Don't do stupid shit like that.
I haven't forgotten The Path to 9/11, Disney. You're still dead to me.
by beemerr on Fri May 02, 2008 at 04:05:57 AM PDT
you have no idea what "Republican tactics" look like. They probably need a lead-lined warehouse to contain all the radioactive shit they're eager to hurl at her if she becomes the nominee.
Electing conservatives is like hiring a carpenter who thinks hammers are evil.
by bwintx on Fri May 02, 2008 at 05:16:25 AM PDT
My understanding, and please correct me if I am wrong, is that her idea deviates a little from the GOP plan in that she wants to pay for the "holiday" by compelling the oil companies to make up for the lost revenue.
I am not an economist, nor am I all that familiar with the numbers vis-a-vis the oil industry, but I suspect that if they are compelled to pay for the "gas tax holiday", it would be hard for them to realize much net gain.
It is still a wrongheaded idea, nonetheless. And she once again is throwing her own party under the bus by using right-wing narratives in the name of drawing distinctions with Obama.
by Steve Singiser on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:40:48 PM PDT
Because, if you make the oil companies pay for it, then you also have to put controls in place so they don't recoup their losses back from the consumers (if not today, then a few months down the road)
Regardless, supply and demand dictates that prices will go down 18 cents, people will buy and consume more, and prices will go up again. Lose lose.
_____________ PUMA: Perverse Undemocratic McCain Adherents
by lizardbox on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:45:00 PM PDT
If you take off the 18 cent tax to make the price $3.82, then the stations will just immediately raise prices the next day to $4 to return the price to equilibrium. I don't understand why people are so obtuse. Even Hillary supporting NY Gov. Paterson said the exact same thing. There needs to be price controls to ensure that the savings are actually passed on to consumers. But once you enact price controls then gas will just become more scarce and while if you could find it, you could buy it for $3, you are not going to be able to find it.
by debrazza on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:53:34 PM PDT
the gas crisis of the 70s. Price controls leading to short supply leading to long gas lines for rationed supplies.
That will win over the voters until it happens and they realize the situation that was created.
I guess thats long enough for Hillary to see if she can rip the nomination from the Democratic party the future be damned.
"...what Washington means by bipartisanship is mainly that everyone should come together to give conservatives what they want." --- Paul Krugman
by puppet10 on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:56:21 PM PDT
he just said that is the only way to make absolutely sure prices go down...
by Jampacked on Thu May 01, 2008 at 11:50:29 PM PDT
I don't see the grandparent post as advocacy for price controls, just a description of the likely results.
(-5.50,-6.67): Left Libertarian
by Sparhawk on Fri May 02, 2008 at 07:05:50 AM PDT
They would just put a tighter grip on supply, maybe shut down a few refineries for "emergency maintenance" and drive up prices anyways.
by Hyuga on Fri May 02, 2008 at 08:33:09 AM PDT
and I'll need to look into that -- but regardless she doesn't actually care to have that nuance enter her own framing of the debate...instead she's just calling out her opponent as having a tin ear for the common man. Given her performance on O'Lielly recently I'm having problems with her sense of nuance period.
by HKHeadhunter on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:45:37 PM PDT
they'll treat a windfall profits tax as a cost of doing business and pass it right on to the consumer.
by MBNYC on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:47:26 PM PDT
by revgerry on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:39:49 PM PDT
We have a winner!
Nancy, Tell MBNYC what he's won!
on temp GBCW ask about Central PA Kossacks(-0.12, -3.33)
by terrypinder on Fri May 02, 2008 at 06:40:22 AM PDT
That's an understandable mistake - it's hard to keep in mind just how astronomically ridiculous oil company profits are the moment.
The estimate of lost gas tax revenue for the 'holiday' is about $9 billion. Exxon's profits this quarter - not this year, this quarter - were $11 billion. They could afford it just fine. And that's just Exxon - just one company, not the industry.
The catch is that they can just pass the cost on to consumers in higher gas prices.
That said, Clinton's proposal is vile propaganda for reasons you can glean from the diary and from other comments - I won't recite them here.
Help Russ Feingold help progressive candidates - support the Progressive Patriots Fund.
by scardanelli on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:50:12 PM PDT
This idiocy would save the average person about $30, while greatly and negatively impacting infrastructure funds.
It is very much like the idiotic "stimulus package." The benefit to individuals is pretty inconsequential, but the aggregate effect on the deficit is huge. And I won't even talk about the fact that our government spent more than $40 million dollars to send out a letter telling people that they might be getting a check.
It is very disappointing that the Democrats agreed to validate this farce of a "plan." I hope they show more spine regarding this tax holiday scam.
by not a cent on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:10:07 PM PDT
finally to have a candidate who doesn't flinch at this sort of thing?
I love the way he's boiled it down to the thirty dollars - people understand that that's peanuts in the context of the larger problem, and they understand how little a politician who tries to pass that off as a solution must think of their intelligence.
by scardanelli on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:37:26 PM PDT
didn't flinch about raising taxes against Reagan and he got creamed. That is my only concern in all of this.
by debrazza on Thu May 01, 2008 at 10:57:30 PM PDT
it ain't the '80s anymore, as you know too, and I think we've lived through enough of the consequences of weak government (Katrina, the Minneapolis bridge, lead-painted toys and tainted drugs) to have a somewhat more adult attitude about what taxes do.
And in this case, we're not talking about an income tax hike - we're talking about $30, if that, with hidden bureaucratic costs.
And of course, Obama is in so many ways no Walter Mondale.
by scardanelli on Thu May 01, 2008 at 11:05:28 PM PDT
Voters are stupid and will believe anything. How can these people hold diametrically opposed views in their heads that Hillary is both a liar and I like her laundry list of b.s. "Did she say she would come and mop my kitchen floor for me? Wow, I believe her and she has my vote."
I shouldn't say "dumb", the PC word in this campaign is "low information"
by debrazza on Thu May 01, 2008 at 11:25:42 PM PDT
[-6.25, -5.59] "The love you take is equal to the love you make." - J. Lennon, P. McCartney
by Phil N DeBlanc on Fri May 02, 2008 at 06:28:44 AM PDT
He was a lackluster candidate at best. And think of his running mate!
by Fabienne on Fri May 02, 2008 at 08:31:57 AM PDT
can be sold as A Bad Idea to the voters. Remember a bridge that recently fell down?
Looking for intelligent energy policy alternatives? Try here.
by alizard on Fri May 02, 2008 at 02:15:48 AM PDT
once the price goes down by 18 cents, the price of crude miraculously goes up the next day and the price of gas is right back where we started -- or higher.
Always be sincere, even if you don't mean it. - Harry S Truman
by parker parrot on Fri May 02, 2008 at 07:26:39 AM PDT
We're retiring Steve LaTourette (R-Family Values for You But Not for Me) and sending Judge Bill O'Neill to Congress from Ohio-14: http://www.oneill08.com/
by anastasia p on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:56:07 PM PDT
supply and demand for a while.
If Oil companies receive less money per gallon, they will put less on the market.
Anyone remember the rationing from the 70s?
-6.5, -7.59. Dump Harry Reid. Put in someone who can rid us of Holy Joe Lieberman.
by DrWolfy on Fri May 02, 2008 at 04:08:29 AM PDT
speaking to her constituents, just like her recent appearance on O'Reily. These include, the Republican party, big money insiders, the oil companies, Haliburton, Dick Cheney. You name it. Look, we have seen direct evidence since the Wisconsin primary that Hillary Rodham Clinton is a Republican. She will say and do anything in her quest for power. She endorses McSame, selling out one of her own. She employs Karl Rove tactics, to destroy one of her own. Runs attack ads against one of her own, playing the fear card, conjuring up Osama Bin laden. This is how Hillary rolls. She must be put out of her own misery. She cannot be the next POTUS.
by JTRicher on Thu May 01, 2008 at 08:45:27 PM PDT
she's been behaving like Karl Rove's evil step-sister this entire primary, she might as well go all the way over to the dark side.
Wake me up in 09 when the scary part is over!
by KellyB on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:47:50 PM PDT
make that evil and not too bright stepsister.
When Rove's people did a dirty trick, they usually got found out after the election.
In HRC's case, they get caught in the act with their bare asses swinging in the breeze.
Imagine a CIA run by a Hillary crony.
by alizard on Fri May 02, 2008 at 02:17:59 AM PDT
just sayin'
by revgerry on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:34:12 PM PDT
The government just suspended the gas tax and lowered your price of gas. YAY.
WARNING: The road and bridges you are about to drive that car with a full tank of gas on is lacking critical maintenance and repair work. Drive at your own risk. (oops)
Seriously, I think it's time for Obama to start running ads with Hillary and McCain's face plastered on collapsed bridges.
by deaniac83 on Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:57:44 PM PDT
wide narrow
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